College Student Might Sue Pat McAfee for Amplifying Rumor About Campus Affair on His Show: ‘You’re Ruining My Life’
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A college freshman is considering legal action against Pat McAfee for amplifying a rumor that has reportedly upended her life and college career.
A Monday report from The Athletic detailed the experiences of 18-year-old Ole Miss freshman Mary Kate Cornett. According to the report, the anonymous messaging app YikYak was the source of the rumor that Cornett had an affair with the father of her boyfriend. The rumor picked up so much steam that it made its way onto other social media platforms. There, multiple Barstool Sports personalities chimed in; and it was eventually reported on The Pat McAfee Show.
Cornett stressed to The Athletic that the story being repeated by multiple high-profile members of sports media is “completely false.”
Since then, Cornett has been the target of extensive harassment — both online and in person. She was forced to relocate to emergency housing on campus, and her classes were switched to online.
Cornett was even the target of a swatting attempt — where someone makes a false police report resulting in officers arriving at the victim’s home with guns drawn. There have been multiple instances of people being killed due to these false reports.
In response to all of this, Cornett has consulted with legal representatives to weigh her options. The report continued:
Cornett engaged legal representation and said she intends to take action against McAfee and ESPN, which airs his show, and potentially others involved in spreading the rumor. “I would like people to be held accountable for what they’ve done,” she said. “You’re ruining my life by talking about it on your show for nothing but attention, but here I am staying up until 5 in the morning, every night, throwing up, not eating because I’m so anxious about what’s going to happen for the rest of my life.”
An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment. McAfee, KFC Barstool and Jack Mac did not respond to messages seeking comment.
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